Believe In Me
by floatsodelicately
Summary: It's Christmas day at Grimmauld Place and what could be getting the Weasley twins down? - George and Hermione friendship and could be read as the start of a Geormione story. Set during Christmas in the Order of the Phoenix (Fifth year Hermione, Seventh year George).


_Even Santa he is thankful for the little things,_

_Thanks to the reindeer that pull me on my sleigh,_

_Thanks for the moonlight that guides me on my way,_

_And I won't be greedy, I don't ask for much these days,_

_I just need one thing, please believe in me._

**_Believe In Me – Fun._**

* * *

It was Christmas day at Grimmauld Place and the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix had been decorated splendidly in Sirius' fit of festive cheer. The _grim old place_ was littered with tinsel and mistletoe, and the huge tree in the drawing room covered in baubles and other decorations brought over from the Burrow – the Black's weren't traditionally happy people, even during the holiday season. After a day filled with laughter, presents and as much food as Molly could fill them with, everyone had retired to their usual spots for a while before bed.

Hermione gave up trying to get Ron off the topic of the Chudley Cannons and left he and Harry to their Quidditch talk. She walked into the library, expecting to see no one and was surprised to see that George was sitting quietly on the sofa, his legs outstretched and balanced on the coffee table in front of him. He and his twin had been unusually quiet that evening, not in the normal way that had everyone double-checking their food so as not to eat something that would turn them blue for a few hours, but in a way that somehow went unnoticed. Their jokes were few and far between, their lively chatter had been taken down a peg or two, the Weasley twins were sad and Hermione felt like she was the only one concerned. She decided that she would try to help George, or at least find out what was wrong with him.

She grabbed a book at random from the shelf and moved to sit next to him. "How are you?" she asked.

"I'm good, you?"

"I'm fine. How are you really?"

George raised an eyebrow at her in question.

Hermione explained her comment, "You just seem quite…down. Fred does too. Is everything alright?"

"Awfully observant aren't you, Miss Prefect?"

"Mhmm," she hummed in agreement, "so are you going to tell me?"

George sighed and dug his hand into his trouser pocket, after a moment, he pulled out two purple striped candy canes and offered one to her.

"What did you do to it?"

"Nothing," he said, at her look of disbelief he added, "ok, maybe a little thing, but not a bad thing. Try it."

She took the sweet from him and eyed him suspiciously until he put his in his mouth before doing the same.

"So what does it taste like?" he asked around the stick in his mouth.

"You don't know?! I'm not your guinea pig! What's going to happen?!" she cried, removing the sweet from her mouth and staring at it in fear.

George gave a short laugh and removed his own and said, "It's not a trick sweet, it's just something we're experimenting with. Mine tastes like blueberry cheesecake."

Hermione returned the candy cane to her lips and tried it again. "Chocolate brownies," she opened her book at the bookmark and found that she had apparently grabbed a book about the mating habits of grindilows in her attempt to seem casual. "So what's bothering you?"

"Persistent little witch…" George rubbed his hand over his face before looking at her, "It's the shop."

"What about it?"

"It's just the idea of it. It's all we've ever wanted and Mum just doesn't…" he trailed off, searching for the right words.

"Believe in you?" she supplied.

"Exactly! I mean, Bill's a cursebreaker, that's respected, dangerous, but respected. Charlie's got his work with dragons which, again, is dangerous but still respected because well, they're bloody huge and breathe fire at you and he's not dead. The prat works at the Ministry so he's-"

"Respected, got it," she cut in, "Owning your own business is respectable though…"

"Yes but 'playing around with dungbombs and sick trick sweets is no way to earn a living', that's what Mum said," he said glumly.

Hermione closed the book and turned to him, "George, they aren't all trick sweets and stupid pranks. The magic you put into your inventions is brilliant-"

"Did you just say I'm brilliant?" he interrupted.

"Shut u-" she laughed.

"Because it sounded like you said I was brilliant," he smiled smugly.

"Listen, I-" Hermione attempted once more.

"Who would have thought that the Gryffindor princess thinks that little ol' me is brilliant?" he grinned, "The way you shout at us, I certainly never would have."

"Yes well when I have to deal with first years with tongues the size of their heads, it's all I can do!" she cried exasperatedly.

"Hey, those firsties volunteer _and_ get paid for their services."

"That's not the point. Maybe your mum doesn't get it. If you showed her your notes for some of your…more _tame_…products, she might see that it's not all fun and games, you actually put a lot of work into them."

"How do you know we put work into them? It might just be happy accidents that they work the way they do…"

"Oh please, those products have layers of charms and different potions to come up with the results they do."

George was flattered for a moment before deflating as he considered his mother's reaction to their work. "I don't think that would work though, she doesn't understand. Neither does Dad. The others just put up with it because it's illegal to murder people, Ginny's hexed us a couple of times, that's as close as they've really got."

Hermione laughed softly and leaned back into the sofa before putting a hand on his, "Well, Harry believes in you, he was your first investor. Judging by the way Remus and Sirius were talking, I think you've got the Marauders on your side too."

"But-"

She cut him off once more, "You've always got Fred. He definitely believes since you're in it together."

"But that's how many people?"

"And there are all those people who buy your products! How many have you sold just this term? And-"

"What about you?"

She looked puzzled for a moment before asking, "What about me?"

"Where do you stand on Weasley Wizard Wheezes?"

She smiled, "Is that the name of your shop?"

"It will be. So what's your stance?"

"Of course I believe in yo-" George quickly drew her into a hug before she could even finish her sentence.

"Thank you," he said as he pulled back.

"It's ok, I mean it. I'll always be here for you and Weasley Wizard Wheezes."

They smiled at each other before he pulled her into his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "So…interested in how grindilows are _getting it on_, are we?" he said, snatching the book out of her grasp before reading in his best 'Professor- voice', "The male grindilow will…"

* * *

A.N.

That's my first Christmas one-shot, there will be more with various pairings (all Hermione though since I apparently can't write anyone but her) coming up in the next few weeks so stay tuned for more.


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